The Most Imporatnt Question Ever Asked

Moses, and Aaron, his brother, then appeared before Pharaoh with the message God had given them, “Let my people go that they should celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.”

Pharaoh responded to Moses with a question that makes perfectly good sense, “Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice? I don’t know this God Jehovah.”

That question is still being asked today, “Who is God that I should listen to His voice?” It is the most important question you will ever answer because it will determine the outcome of your life. If God created the heavens and the earth, we most certainly should want to know Him and listen to His voice.

God called Moses to deliver the people of Israel from the slavery and oppression they were suffering in Egypt. He gave Moses powerful signs to demonstrate
his power and convince the sons of Israel that he had met with God and God had sent him to be their deliverer.

When Moses met with the Hebrew leaders and demonstrated the power of God they did believe that God had sent Moses, that He was concerned about them and
that He had seen their affliction. The people then bowed low and worshipped.

Moses, and Aaron, his brother, then appeared before Pharaoh with the message God had given them, “Let my people go that they should celebrate a feast to
Me in the wilderness.”

Some suggest this was a bit deceptive since God’s ultimate plan was to completely free the Hebrews, not just give them a long weekend of rest from their
labors. But God instructed Moses to begin with this small request and thus the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart would be revealed in that he would not let
them go for even such a small thing as going three days in the wilderness to celebrate a feast and worship God.

Pharaoh responded to Moses with a question that makes perfectly good sense, “Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice? I don’t know this God Jehovah.”

That question is still being asked today, “Who is God that I should listen to His voice?” It is the most important question you will ever answer because
it will determine the outcome of your life. If God created the heavens and the earth, we most certainly should want to know Him and listen to His voice.

I. One Day Everyone Will Know Him

Pharaoh had never heard of Jehovah, though he had heard the names of more than 100 Egyptian gods. There were so many Egyptian gods you could hardly
count them. They often had the body of a human and the head of either a human or some kind of creature.

Each of the gods had their own appearance and most of them imitated some aspect of creation. There was a lion, a jackal, a hawk, a crocodile, a cat,
a frog, even flies.

There was Osiris, Isis, Set, Horus, Ra, Thoth, Anubis, Hathor, and on and on. The Egyptians believed that they themselves were the descendants of gods
and superior to all other races on earth.

From the perspective of Pharaoh, the God of Israel could not have been very powerful if the people of Israel were slaves to the superior Egyptians.
Therefore, Pharaoh’s response was reasonable, “Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice? I do not know this God Jehovah. And besides, I will
not let Israel go.”

A.Creation itself reveals the glory of God

The heavens and the earth that God created declare the glory of God.

Isaiah 44:24, Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone,”

Our response is to be amazed at God, rather than be amazed at the things God created.

Illus – People often see something wonderful and say, “That is amazing.” But we should also recognize that the One who created it is yet more amazing!

Some even take it further and adopt the New Age philosophy, “This rock, this tree, this thing is a god.”

How ridiculous to honor anything as god which has no life or power on its own.

Romans 1:22-23, Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

B.God makes Himself known

“I don’t know Jehovah,” Pharaoh said. At this point, this is understandable. But God made Himself known to Pharaoh so that he was without excuse.

Exodus 7:5, “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”

At first, it may have seemed that the God of the Hebrews was not very powerful. After all, they were still slaves and Pharaoh was still the singular
power in that part of the world.

Also, their gods did seem to have spiritual reality. The demonic world is a spiritual reality. Some are drawn to its power, but they are spiritually
blind.

This is not a contest between Moses and Pharaoh, this is a spiritual battle. We are in a spiritual battle today.

Ephesians 6:12, Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world, forces of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

Illus – There was an Egyptian god, Thoth, who was the god of magical powers. Egyptian magic was called heka and all their gods and even the people were thought to have this magical power in varying degrees.

Priests were the main practitioners of magic. The most respected users of magic were the lector priests, who were supposed to have the power to make wax
figures come to life and, interestingly, to be able to roll back the waters of a lake.

Illus – In fact, when Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh, Aaron threw down his staff it became a serpent, but the magicians did the same. Then the serpent from Aaron’s staff swallowed the serpents of the magicians.

Then when Moses struck the Nile and the waters became blood, the magicians were able to do this also and Pharaoh was unconcerned.

When God brought a plague of frogs out of the waters so that the land was filled with frogs, the magicians also did the same.

But when God brought forth gnats out of the dust of the earth, the magicians said, “This is the finger of God.” But still Pharaoh would not recognize
the God of Israel.

Finally, when God sent hail upon the land of Egypt and all their crops and the livestock in the fields were destroyed, Pharaoh relented…

Exodus 9:27-28, Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.” Make supplication to the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail;”

Each of the plagues God did in Egypt are actually prophetic of the plagues that God will do in the Tribulation seven-year period of God’s wrath that
will come at the end of the age.

A.We should obey His voice

“Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice?” Pharaoh asked. God made Himself known to Pharaoh and He is making Himself known today as well.

Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

If you know God, that He is creator of heaven and earth, then listen to His voice and draw near.

There is an obvious trend happening today; the world is moving farther and farther from belief in God and will not listen to His Word.

These are the days to become stronger in faith and not be concerned what other people think. Too many want the approval of the world and to be accepted
as ‘cool’ by the world.

Illus – A few years ago I was saying goodnight to our granddaughter and at some point, I said, “That’s cool.” Aviah then responded, “Please don’t be one of those dads that tries to be ‘cool’ by using cool words.” Of course, I had to play that up. “Okay,” I said, “that’s groovy. I’m hip with that. Solid, man. I can dig it.” I may not know modern slang, but the 60s I got.

The question is, who influences who? We weren’t called to fit in, we were called to stand out. The gospel is what the broken lost world needs.

App- The problem is that when someone says, “Who is God that I should obey Him?” they open their lives to the consequences of not listening.

There are inevitable consequences when people violate the laws and principles of God’s Word. “The way of the transgressor is hard,” the scripture says.

But the one who listens to the Word of God will find his life blessed. God gave his Word to protect us from the dangers and devastations and plagues
that come from going our own way.

God didn’t give His Word to be a heavy burden and to keep us from a happy, blessed and wonderful life. It’s exactly the opposite.

The Word of God was given that we might be blessed with a rich, abundant, joy-filled life.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Psalm 1:2-3, The one who delights in the law of the Lord, and in His law meditates day and night, will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.

How much better to discover who God is and be blessed in obeying His voice, than to be like Pharaoh and discover who God is by the disaster that comes from
disregarding God’s Word!

II. Faith Will Sustain You in Times of Trouble

Pharaoh’s response was to make the burden even greater for the Hebrews by forcing them to make bricks without providing straw.

In other words, things got worse before they got better.

A. Keep troubles in the right perspective

For the Hebrews this must have seemed the greatest problem they had yet faced, and it seems they could only see the troubles immediately in front of
them.

But God was doing something so much greater!

The trouble is that many want to know what God is doing right now. Moses was told in advance and even then, it didn’t help much. Even he complained
to God (verse 23).

We need faith to trust that God knows what He is doing and that He is able to do what He says He will do and that He has our best in mind…

Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

A. Don’t let frustration defeat your faith

It’s instructive to see the frustration that builds in this story. The foremen turn to Pharaoh for help and get a reprimand instead.

They then turn to Moses and Aaron and speak with strong words of anger and accuse them to their face.

Frustrations can make you do and say things that hurt relationships. Frustrations divide relationships: financials troubles cause couples to fight,
family stresses cause parents and children to be at odds with each other, churches become divided over minor things.

As for you, walk in the integrity of your heart and with all steadfastness of faith!

Psalm 15:2-3, 5, He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart; he does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; …He who does these things will never be shaken.

Instead of arguing with the foremen, Moses turns to God with the concerns of his heart. There his faith will be strengthened by God’s words and actions.

Do you believe in the favor of the hand of God?

Illus – I was using an extension ladder and lowering the top ladder with the rope when it came loose and came crashing down, smashing my left hand that was holding the lower ladder. It should have broken my fingers, but amazingly it didn’t even hurt. Why? My wedding ring took it all and I was saved. The favor of God.

Psalm 62:5-8, My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.